Rededication remarks from Bishop Emeritus Rodimer

Remarks at Rededication Mass in St. John the Baptist Cathedral by Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Paterson

Last week, Father Richard Bay and I were invited by Rebeca Ruiz-Ulloa and Dennis Rodano, our diocese architect and project manager respectively, to visit our cathedral to get a preview of the work on it as it approached completion for today’s rededication. We parked on DeGrasse Street. I had spent a quarter of a century entering the Diocesan Chancery Office, 24 DeGrasse St., but this was the first time I can remember entering the cathedral by this side entrance. It is a very significant entrance for many of us now — it has no steps. It is “the handicap entrance.”

The grass was bright green on the lawn right down to the appropriately grand and glorious Federici statue of our first Bishop, Thomas McLaughlin, who had accepted me as an applicant for the seminary in 1943. The exterior brownstone walls of the church and elegant tower had been cleaned and the four clocks in the tower were working again.

As we entered the cathedral, all the lights seemed to be on. Work was in progress. John Peragallo was tuning the organ in the very handsomely renovated choir loft. Carpenters were hammering away in the narthex. Electricians had cables up and down the aisles. Artisans were assembling the Hennessy altar in the Lady Chapel. But most of the work was done. On the other outside of the cathedral is another Federici statue, that of the Dean, the legendary Dean William McNulty who built what is now the cathedral. The sanctuary was completed, the new altar in place beneath the new baldacchino, the Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament area arranged behind the altar awaiting Our Lord Jesus — but what stood out were the colors, the newly repaired and cleaned stained glass windows — and, the polychromed Stations of the Cross, marvelous, we thought.

Father William McNulty (1829-1922) came to Paterson in 1863. The parish church of St. John the Baptist had been built on Oliver Street. Father McNulty soon began plans for the new church that was to become a cathedral when the Diocese of Paterson was created in 1937. St. John’s, though not complete, was dedicated on June 29, 1870, entirely free of debt ($232,000).

Did the Dean envision the day when his church would be a cathedral? The Dean “thought big,” as they say, so who can say? (Maybe Doctor Kupke.)

Incidentally, the Paterson Diocese is one of the few dioceses in the country if not beyond, whose cathedral has the same patron saint as the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. The Roman Cathedral is St. John the Baptist on the Lateran Hill — San Giovanni in Laterano.

There are those who with but a momentary lapse of thought, lament the fact that this grand old church, this imposing cathedral, is located in this busy place — with the County Jail across the street, utility poles with cables and wires in ever increasing numbers out front, people from all parts of the world, with all kinds of needs, looking for help, in particular from Catholic Charities and Eva’s Village.

But no, this is precisely where our Paterson Cathedral should be. Jesus is here. His word, his love, his truth, his saving and merciful Heart is here. In fact, we can say, St. John’s is not just a part of the city; it is the Heart of the city.

There are many people who deserve recognition today, but, from my perspective, I will cite only two:

First, our good Bishop Arthur Serratelli. Bishop, you have had the conviction and the courage of your conviction to see with eyes of faith the importance of this cathedral parish. The Sacred Liturgies celebrated here embrace all the parishes of the Diocese. You speak the words of Jesus to all of us, and you call down the Spirit of Jesus on his priests and deacons so that they can speak his words and celebrate his saving mysteries throughout the Diocese.

Secondly, Msgr. Mark Giordani. All through the years, he has labored tirelessly, available to the people he loves and who love him. He is one with them — Pope Francis says he wants shepherds with the smell of the sheep. We get the point, even without the herds on Grand Street. And these past few years, with the cathedral closed and under repair, Father Mark and his assistants and staff kept the parish going, enduring the many inconveniences of celebrating Holy Mass and parish events in the Center next door.

Tomorrow this Cathedral Parish Church will be full again, packed with people who love Jesus. He can’t wait to see them.